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Concept - Agreement Phase
  • The purpose of this page is to describe how a visitor responds to an offer of an updating service by submitting an application and concluding an agreement.
  • The spirit of the web requires that this process shall not depend on any prior understanding or agreement between the parties. It must be self-contained and apply to just one knowledge element or assertion type.
  • To keep things simple each subscription contract is regarded as a 'thing' represented on the dynamic web which is identified by its own URI and is defined by assertions having that URI as subject. This means that the sharing of subscription contract details between the publishing and subscribing sites can be handled through the same mechanism as is used for the assertions themselves.

Subscription Contract Set-Up Process

The process through which a subscription contract is set up has the following steps:

    • The aspiring subscriber must first equip a subscriber site to participate in the dynamic web. The is done simply by installing on that site a modest piece of generic software that will perform the required functions.
    • The subscription contract set-up process begins when a site visitor sees a piece of information that is highlighted to indicate the availability of an updating service and follows the associated link.
    • On receiving the downloaded subscription contract application form, this visitor checks the subject description and meaning before making a decision whether to proceed or not.
    • On deciding to proceed, the visitor may insert a further selection expression to be applied by the publishing service in addition to that contained in the offer.
    • On deciding to proceed, the visitor inserts the URI of the proposed subscribing site.
    • The subscriber then submits the application to the publisher through a typical customer registration and purchase process.
    • On satisfactory completion of appropriate checks at the source site, the application is converted into a subscription contract for distribution of updates from the publishing site to the subscriber's nominated subscribing site. Details of this contract will be expressed in RDF with standard content and semantics. These details are stored in the local site knowledge store at the publishing site and a copy sent to the subscriber at the nominated subscribing site.
    • On receipt of an authenticated subscription contract at the subscribing site, the subscription contract details are stored in the local site knowledge store by generic software. There will be no need for the subscribing site to include a fully functional RDF data store because the only required functions are those of 'create' and 'retrieve' and 'delete'. These basic functions will be included in the generic software which may use any form of file or database.

Subscription Contract Details

Each subscription contract contains the following details:

This is a URI supplied by the publisher to identify a web resource specifying technical, logistical and other practical aspects of the distribution service on offer. This has the implication that only assertions pertaining to those circumstances will be supplied
  • Identifier. This a URL allocated to the subscription contract by the publisher at the time of its creation.
  • Publisher. This the URL of the legal entity that contracts to provide the service.
  • Publishing Site. This the URL of the site from which the information is to be distributed.
  • Subscriber. This the URL of the legal entity that contracts to use any received information in full accordance with the agreed terms and conditions and to present payment for the service in accordance with any commercial arrangements specified within the subscription contract.
  • Subscribing Site. This is the URL of the subscribing site, i.e. that to which the information is to be distributed.
  • Object Selection Criteria. This contains a specification of conditions that must be satisfied by the complete set of knowledge grains currently available for a subject if any associated assertions are to be distributed to the subscribing site nominated for this subscription contract.
  • Predicate Selection Criteria. This contains a specification of conditions that must be satisfied by any assertion about an appropriate subject that is cited for action under the subscription contract if it is to be selected for distribution to the subscribing site.
  • Operating Constraints . This contains a specification of technical, logistical and other practical aspects of the distribution service on offer. This has the implication that only assertions pertaining to those circumstances will be supplied.
  • Commercial Arrangements. This will indicate whether payment is due for services provided under the contract and, where applicable, will specify the price, means of payment and related conditions.
  • Statistical Records. This contains the URI of a specification of required statistical records.
  • Terms and Condition. This is the URI of a specification of terms and conditions that is incorporated into the subscription contract in a legally enforceable way.
Supervision and Safeguards
  • The concern here is that the service shall operate without human intervention in a way that is reliable and safe for both parties whether the service has been purchased or is provided free of change. The chief assurance is that all data passed between sites is non-executable text.
  • Supervision of the service is clearly necessary but, in my opinion, this should not be the subject of any W3C standard. The detail of such supervision should be a matter of customer choice with competition between the providers of software that claims to support the dynamic web in accordance with the standards that I hope will be established.
  • I believe that the dynamic web poses no novel security risks but am conscious of the importance of this issue. I intend to make a more thorough assesment in due course.